ROMANTIC VIEW OF PRECIOUS STONES

Gems are strongly associated in the minds of many people with fairy tales, distant exotic lands, ancient legends and myths. There is something enigmatic about them, something that made many a philosopher reflect upon strange influence they exercise on people (apart from their purely monetary value). Their special qualities make one think of the eternal.

Most people love the color, the variety, the brilliance, the flash, the lore of gemstones. Gems permeate our history – the lapis lazuli and turquoise treasures of the Egyptian pharaohs, the jades of ancient China, turquoise of the Native Americans, the rubies, emeralds, and sapphires of India and South-East Asia. The ancient lapis lazuli mines of Afghanistan have been mined continuously for 7 thousand years! Every royal family has its treasured gems and jewels, and most families of lesser means have their own precious heirlooms. Husbands and wives traditionally exchange gifts of precious stone jewelry. We carry gems as lucky stones and amulets. Some think that gemstones contain special healing powers. For whatever reason, most of us are attracted to gems, and they will always be a part of our lives.

In addition to purely utilitarian approach to precious and semi-precious stones some people can have a very romantic one and usually devote a lot of time to studying and exploring philosophic and other non-utilitarian aspects of gems. And enjoying their beauty, of course. To do that they do not have to go to museums that have vast collections of uncut gem materials, loose gemstones, and precious metal jewelry set with marvelous polished, faceted, and carved gems. They usually have their own collection of precious, semi-precious and decorative stones and prefer to keep them for their entertainment, educational and aesthetic value.

It is believed that there is much more to a gem than just visible qualities usually associated with precious stones such as their color, purity, size and others. There are a lot of mysterious qualities in gems. The gem is believed to affect a man’s soul, intellect and body. Gems, being millions of years old, carry in themselves the cosmic energies, accumulated in them, and pass them on to a person who wears or handles them. These energies can restore the energy balance in a human body in case it becomes upset. Besides, gazing at a gem, peering into its enigmatic depths, provokes and stimulates one’s imagination. In combination with precious metals and other stones, gems can reveal their qualities even better but it takes not only a lot of taste but also great expertise to find the right combination.

In addition to purely aesthetic qualities, precious stones are believed to possess certain medicinal properties and can be very useful in treating certain diseases, especially those of the nervous system. Besides, some of the precious and semi-precious stones, pulverised, were prescribed as regular medicine, which was thought to have a salutary effect on some of the internal organs. But the main healing quality of precious stones is a special kind of energy they radiate which restores the energy balance of a human body to the desired level, which in its turn helps the ailing body “heal itself”.

Gems also have long been known to effect people’s moods and emotional states. It was believed in ancient and medieval times, and this belief is still upheld by many people that beryl makes one cheerful and gregarious, chalcedony helps win a trial in the court of law, malachite can prevent anything evil happening to the wearer, jacinth can take away fatigue, agate will protect from an imminent danger, serpentine will protect from poisonous bite of venomous snakes, chrysolite can help restore good mood and get rid of melancholy, sapphire, the symbol of chastity and purity, helps in attaining true love.

Each gem was believed to symbolise certain passions, sentiments and emotions: ruby symbolised desire; turquoise – whim; amethyst – hope, truthfulness and devotion; opal – inconsistency; agate – health and longevity; topaz and beryl – friendship; garnet – faithfulness and loyalty; pearls – prosperity.

It is said that everything in Nature on the planet Earth has a cosmic purpose and the purpose of the gems is to show Man that perfection is possible and attainable.

Today a growing number of people turn to astrology and it is for the believers in astrology that the table below compiled by one of the British collectors, may be of some interest. It shows which stones should be chosen by those who were born under a certain Sign of Zodiac to bring them happiness and health.

Aquarius the Water Bearer (Jan. 21 – Feb. 19): sapphire, opal, turquoise, lapis lazuli, aquamarine, amethyst.
Pisces the Fishes (Feb. 20 – March 20): alexandrite, amethyst, labrodorite, emerald, pearls, moonstone, chrysolite, aquamarine, sapphire.
Aries the Ram (March 21 – April 20): aquamarine, diamond, jasper, carnelian, amethyst, all the red stones.
Taurus the Bull (April 21 – May 20): emerald, sapphire, diamond, crystal, agate, rose quartz, all the white stones.
Gemini the Twins (May 21 – June 21): agate, topaz, emerald, aquamarine, citrine.
Cancer the Crab (June 22 – July 22): emerald, ruby, chalcedony, moonstone, beryl, malachite, all the opaque ones.
Leo the Lion (July 23 – August 23): ruby, jasper, jacinth, topaz, chrysolite, all the yellow stones.
Virgo the Virgin (Aug. 24 – Sep. 22): corals, jade, chrysolite, chrysoberyl, carnelian, malachite, topaz, garnet, citrine.
Libra the Balance (Sep. 23 – Oct. 23): beryl, diamond, tourmaline, crystal, orange citrine.
Scorpio the Scorpion (Oct. 24 – Nov. 22): opal, garnet, topaz, coral, ruby, aquamarine, crystal, malachite.
Sagittarius the Archer (Nov. 23 – Dec. 21): lapis lazuli, chrysolite, amethyst, all the red and green stones.
Capricorn the Goat (Dec. 22 – Jan. 20) ruby, opal, onyx, cat’s eye, agate, all the black ones.

Prepared By Vlada Popushoi